KP govt to bring in Musk for internet slowdown crisis, reveals official

As internet users across Pakistan continue to face slow internet, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is mulling to to bring in SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk for the prevailing issue. 

The provincial government will also contact other people for the internet speed crisis as due to the slowdown in KP, the IT sector has severely been affected, revealed Special Assistant to KP chief minister Shafqat Ayaz. 

“There is an internet problem in KP but no one knows the reasons behind it,” the special assistant added.

Pakistan has been grappling with the ongoing internet speed issue, with the government consistently blaming submarine cable faults, while reports hint at possible experimentation with a "firewall" by authorities.

The development comes after the SpaceX and Tesla CEO formally confirmed that he was awaiting for Islamabad’s approval to launch Starlink, the satellite internet company owned by him, in Pakistan.

Taking to his official X handle on Saturday, Musk revealed: “We are waiting for approval from the government.”

He made the remarks during a conversation with Pakistani social media activist Sanam Jamali as the country has been experiencing internet-related issues for a couple of months.

Jamali urged Musk to expedite Starlink’s launch in Pakistan, saying: “Millions await the connectivity, education and opportunities Starlink could offer.”

Amid internet disruptions faced by millions of users across the country, Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja last month said that Pakistan was in contact with Starlink to bring its services to the country.

"We are in talks with Starlink to bring them to Pakistan," Khawaja said during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee meeting on IT and Telecommunication.